Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

"Shard, do you know that once you come to this world, you can't go back?"

"Don't worry, I can go back."

Shard said casually, then asked Priest Augustus:

"So, what exactly is going on? Why did you cross the Gate of Death? What exactly is the problem here?"

The priest shook his head:

"Since you are already here, I won't explain the matters of the Interstice of Life and Death. Simply put, after I accidentally fell into the Interstice, due to my sensitivity to the power of death, I realized that there was a serious problem here."

"What problem?"

"The world of the deceased should have no communication with the world of the living; all the interstices in this world are expanding. From the Second Era when they first appeared to the Sixth Era, this initial and largest interstice is about to collapse."

"Sorry, what do you mean by 'unable to withstand'?"

Shard still didn't understand.

"It's simple, we are now in a world that belongs purely to the deceased, and the power accumulated here should only exist in this place. But with the Interstice of Life and Death, the power of death seeps into the material world, causing the interstices to grow larger and more numerous."

This point was mentioned in the information provided by Sister Delphine.

"Each year during autumn, the interstice swallows living people to balance the power of death and delay the outbreak of death. And the church, no matter what, cannot destroy all the interstices, so it can only reinforce and strengthen the seals continuously. However, this also leads to an increasing number of souls accumulating in the interstice, unwilling to depart."

Considering the number of souls Shard saw earlier, there are far more souls in the Interstice of Life and Death than there are living people in the Midshire Fort area.

"Isn't the church sealing it well?"

Shard asked again:

"Not only are large rituals prepared in the real world, but also massive divine rituals are set up within the interstice as well, everything seems fine."

The priest shook his head again:

"I can feel death clearly, feel the terror of this dreadful place. Even if the church has been plugging these since the Fifth Era, one day death will truly connect to reality, and the grounds beneath Midshire Fort are about to collapse. Shard, only I can feel that the power accumulated here will soon burst out within a very short time... Therefore, I voluntarily crossed the Gate of Death and sealed this place."

So, after the cleric's disappearance, the missing cases in this autumn stopped abruptly, which, in fact, was a form of sacrifice.

"If there is such a major disaster about to happen, why not tell the church? We need to trust the church."

Shard said, actually, it was quite bizarre for a shallow believer like him to persuade a seasoned clergy member to trust in the church.

"No, it's too sudden, once the interstice collapses, the eruption of death will be worse than any disaster ever before, and it's certain to occur before the end of this year. Unless we perform God Summoning, human powers cannot resist the death flowing from this gate into the real world. There won't be any signs, just a matter of a few minutes and everything will be over. And even if the God Summoning Ritual is prepared in advance, it takes at least twenty minutes for the final steps..."

The priest sighed, meaning that even if the God Summoning Ritual is successful, the deity can only help humans deal with the aftermath of the disaster.

"I possess such power, and I happened to come here, I think this is my mission. To die here in an act of saving everything, guarding this gate with my soul, I believe this is the best ending."

"So you're saying, as long as this gate is sealed, it would solve the troubles of Midshire Fort?"

Shard narrowed his eyes slightly, if that was really the case, perhaps he had a way.

But the Priest unexpectedly shook his head again:

"I gathered some information in the Interstice, the guards of the church have disappeared somewhere and incredibly didn't stop me from approaching the library… In any case, in the Interstice of Life and Death that has formed in the Midshire Fort Area, there are a total of three pathways that communicate with death.

The one located at the foot of Sicarl Mountain is this Gate of Death, sealed and guarded by the True God Church, and now I am here to reinforce the seal."

Shard finally understood, the church had only sealed one third.

"The pathway located halfway up Sicarl Mountain is barely guarded by seals left by the Witch Empresses of the previous Era, but it seems there are some problems—the white mist that pours out from the mountainside each autumn is because of the loosening of the seals. However, the church has yet to locate that pathway; the Witch Empresses, worried that the seal would be broken, have hidden it away."

This was the first time Shard had known that those Witch Empresses did anything besides indulging, fighting, exterminating precious animal species to develop cosmetics, or spending a tremendous amount of gold on inventions for which ordinary people have no use.

"Finally, the pathway at the summit of Sicarl Mountain is guarded by an Ancient One, fervent and full of Life Force, I can only barely sense its presence… very powerful."

The Priest glanced at the crimson line that burned on Shard's right wrist. Shard also looked down at his hand and abruptly asked a question:

"Priest, have you ever unfolded your wings in the mountains of Sicarl?"

He asked, and the Priest shook his head:

"No."

So, the ghostly spirit who claimed to have seen a "giant flying bird" while hanging at Shard's descent did not see Priest Augustus.

"So, sealing these three pathways should resolve the issue?"

Shard asked again, and the Priest still shook his head:

"The pathways are not important, what's important is the Interstice of Life and Death. As long as that place exists, more pathways will sooner or later appear."

"Hmm... can we destroy the Interstice?"

"The Church has yet to find a way, and even if it were achieved, it would lead to millions or even tens of millions of souls rushing into the real world, most of which would become Evil Spirits in that moment."

Shard imagined the sight of seven, eight, nine, or even ten digits worth of Evil Spirits appearing in Midshire Fort City:

"What about preparing a God Summoning Ritual in advance, letting the True Gods resolve the problem? Letting the Deities destroy the Interstice and guide those souls towards true death."

"Shard, there's no shortage of level 0 Relics in this world, and this world has a lot of suffering—why haven't the Deities solved all this, making every aspect of the world happy and beautiful? It's not that They cannot, but there are restrictions to the Divine Descent Ritual, not just the cost of materials, but also secrets unknown to us. Without confirming that we cannot cope using merely human power, the Church will not easily summon the Gods, letting them appear above this earth beneath the steam."

Thus, the imminent fracture of the Interstice and the disaster of death's outbreak seemed like an unsolvable problem. It couldn't be completely fixed, only continuously sealed, until there is no longer any way to seal it.

"This world is really dangerous."

Shard couldn't help but lament.

A smile appeared on the Priest's weary face:

"I am glad you realize this. There is only one world after death, but there's more than one Interstice of Life and Death, the history of this one possibly dating back to the Second Era, which is why it's so terrifying; thus, you need not worry about the other Interstices. Shard, if you can leave, then go, I am glad to have met you, see, my luck really isn't too bad."

Now it was Shard's turn to shake his head. He turned to look back at the calm waters, those hazy souls standing upon the surface. Moonlight illuminated his face; he was still quite surprised that he had actually crossed over from death:

"You say, you remain here to guard this door, preventing the outburst of the Power of Death?"

"Only this pathway just below the mountainside, I can only do what I am capable of."

The Priest looked up at Shard's retreating figure:

"The eruption before the end of this year, I have blocked it here, but I can't say for sure about the other two passages. However, the fact that nothing is pouring out from the gate at the foot of the mountain means it gives the church more time to respond after the accident occurs. Speaking of which, I couldn't do it alone, I owe it to you..."

"Me?"

Shard hesitated:

"I don't seem to have done anything, have I?"

"When I pushed open the gate in the Interstice of Life and Death, located deep within the Church of Nature, there was no light here."

"No light?"

Shard squinted his eyes towards the half Silvermoon at the end of the boundless waters:

"Wasn't this Nether Moon supposed to shine?"

"No, there was no moon initially."

The Priest spoke very calmly.

"No moon?"

"Yes, there was only boundless darkness and emptiness before, no moon. But when you drew me into your dream, the world of the deceased bled into your dream, yet it didn't seem to affect you at all. And the light from the massive silver moon in your dream... it shone here too..."

The Priest at the gate also looked up towards the Silvermoon at the water's edge.

No one spoke, the silver light illuminating the faces of both the Outlander and the Old Cleric. In the world of the concept of death itself, they both harbored doubts, and Shard suspected it was the Divinity within his soul that had tainted the Spirit Rune "Silvermoon," and then a sliver of that divine power had seeped into this world, creating the moon.

The line burning on Shard's wrist suddenly grew hot, it was Sister Delphine reminding him that dawn was approaching, and he must return quickly.

"I don't know if this is a permanent change or a temporary one, but your dream has altered this place. The appearance of the guiding Nether Moon has indeed stabilized death, delaying the impending catastrophe."

The Priest murmured;

"Shard, leave this place, the gate must be watched by someone."

"Even if this seal is reinforced, the other two may still present problems. I think, the best course of action would actually be for you, the Priest, to leave with me. The role you can play in reality is greater than your solitary watch here."

This was the truth; Priest Augustus seemed particularly familiar with death, and he knew many things the church was unaware of. If they wanted to prevent the outbreak of death, the Priest providing information to the church in the real world could be a big help.

Priest Augustus obviously understood this as well, but he still shook his head:

"The Gate of Death can barely hold on; I must stay here."

"Priest, I will strengthen the seal."

Shard said, and Priest Augustus looked at him:

"You don't know how..."

"I know, I can feel it very clearly, how cold, empty, and silent this place is."

Shard took a deep breath, his back still turned to the Priest as he gazed at the Silvermoon. That very moon might drive any ordinary person to madness, but to Shard, it was curiously familiar:

"Priest, I could even venture into the Dark Realm and kill Ivan Daknis, so why couldn't I work another miracle?"

"So it really was you, but how... Iluna Beath of the Sun Church, she was also your friend."

Priest Augustus fell silent, lips parted in surprise; then after a moment:

"How much seal can you reinforce?"

"That's something I'll know only after trying, but I think it won't be useless. It should buy some time, allowing the church time to devise a response. Priest, do you trust me?"

Another moment of silence:

"Very well."

The sound of fluttering wings came from the door behind him, and Shard knew Priest Augustus was descending from the gate.

"Shard, there are other living people in the Interstice of Life and Death. I've directed them to take refuge at the Dawn Chapel in the interstice. I'll leave first in a moment and lead them back to the world of the living. I cannot enter the interstice on my own, but leaving is no issue. We will emerge in the forested area of Sicarl Mountain, and once we leave, everyone but me will lose their memories, as the interstice is not a place meant for the living; so don't worry about that.

After you strengthen the seal, you must leave immediately too. If you stay here too long, you'll become lost as well."

Shard was aware of this; in fact, there was half an hour left until daylight in his "Time Perception":

"That's fine, if so many missing people walk out together, the church won't suspect your identity. As for communication with the church afterward, that can be done through other methods. Priest, it's best not to reveal the matter of the correspondence student."

"Understood."

Footsteps grew nearer, and Priest Augustus appeared at Shard's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, but the wings behind him were gone.

The two stood in front of the beach, looking in the direction where countless souls headed, looking towards the Silvermoon on the horizon. The moonlight lit their faces, their eyes, and perhaps the sights each beheld at this moment were not entirely the same.

After a while, the Priest whispered:

"Shard, thank you for coming to save me."

"Priest, don't tell me you want to take advantage of me, saying that you'll treat me as your grandchild in the future? No, no, I would rather remain your friend."

Shard joked, and the Priest shook his head:

"At least, I know to whom I should leave my inheritance in my will."

"Stop mentioning death, Priest, I've come across that word too often this week. Come to think of it, if, like in those knight novels, you were a fair young princess awaiting rescue instead of you, maybe..."

Realizing how inauspicious his words were, he immediately stopped. The Priest at his side chuckled and shook his head, handing Shard a charred feather.

The instant Shard made contact with it, his already numb senses received an alert of complete numbness in half his hand, and a message reached his ear:

[Outlander, you have touched a Whisper.]

"This is the Power of Death, which will grant you a Spirit Rune related to death and help you reinforce the power of the seal on the Gate of Death. Only in such a place could I give out this kind of power. In the real world, I am just an old human of the Second Ring."

The Priest gave a self-deprecating laugh:

"Shard, no matter what, make sure you return on time."